Category Archives: Questions and Answers

Canning Beets and losing color

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Question from Sharon’s inbox :

I just canned 8 pints of beets and they have all lost their color.  I left about 1 inch on the stem and didn’t cut the root when I cooked them.  They looked fine when I filled the jars, when I took them out of the canner, the water was red and the beets look white.  I did add a teaspoon of cider vinegar to each jar before canning.  Would the vinegar make them lose their color?  Thank you!

Hi Barb,   Leaving the stems and roots will help, but beets will always lose some color when you can them.  It is an unfortunate reality.   I don’t use vinegar when I am canning beets so I’m not familiar with it to know if it affects color. But I wouldn’t think it would change anything.

Your beets shouldn’t turn extremely white though. They should have some color.  A dark pinkish color.

If yours are losing a lot of color be sure and check your processing time. Over processing may cause more color loss. But don’t reduce your processing below what is recommended just to keep the color.

With pickled beets it is a different story. The beets stay nice and red. They are only waterbath processed so it is a gentler process.

Commercial canners have different equipment and are able to reach the correct temperature for safety with different processes. (I also can’t help but wonder how much food die is in those cans.) Home canned still beat them in taste though!

Sharon

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Tattler reusable canning lids… getting tested! Woo Hoo!

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wonderful news for tattler canning lidsThe folks here at Tattler are pretty excited.  We received a long awaited letter from some folks at the University of Georgia.   There is a test in the works for tattler reusable canning lids.  This is wonderful news for us, and we can’t think of a better way to start the new year.

Excerpt from the letter we received.

“I wanted to let you know we are about to get more experience with using Tattler lids. I have a graduate student who will be starting a project to use them in canning some boiling water and pressure canned jars of food to look at sealing success rates, vacuums and maintenance of vacuum during storage periods.

We will incubate some of the jars to see if there are any differences in food quality such as discoloration at the tops of jars, also. The comparison will be to the traditional two-piece metal lid system as well as some products packed in Weck jars also.The student will be working on her research proposal during the spring semester. “

Like everyone, we will be eagerly awaiting the results of their study, but we’re quite confident their testing will acknowledge what we already know, TATTLER Reusable Canning Lids are fantastic.

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Labeling your jars.

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Question: I’m so used to writing on jar lids for labeling! It is taking a major mental shift to change my ‘system’. :} Curious, what do you do to label your canned produce?

That’ can be as simple or fancy as you want to get. I’ve been known to use a variety of methods. In fact when I saw this question I wondered just how many different ways I’ve labeled my canning jars. So I peeked into my pantry and cupboards and found these!

You can print up some cute labels on your computer. Buy those round labels at an office supply store.  Here’s some I did for my dandelion jelly.

canning label

 

My next idea is not nearly as cute or original but the quickest and most convenient method is simple cheap pricing stickers on the lids. Since they are small you can use two, put the date on one and the contents of the jar on the other.  Try different types of stickers. Some leave more gluey residue than others.

canning label stickers

The sharpie marker is my best friend! Here I’ve written on the jar itself.  I worried whether it would rub off but it seemed to work well.  In fact I have to scrub a bit to get the marker off the jar when I empty it.

canning label with sharpie on the jar

 

Here I decided to try and see how I liked writing directly on my tattler lids. It worked pretty slick, except when I tried to wash this off you could still faintly see the writing…. not too badly but consider this first before you try it.  I probably won’t do a lot of this… but I had to try it out. You can see some sticker residue that I didn’t get washed off very well from the previous label…. of course you know that means this lid has been uhm re-used!

canning label the jar lid with sharpie

By far my favorite is a recent discovery….. modern harvest labels. These are plastic sleeves that slip right on your jar. The are a shrink label…  you dip them in hot water and they wrap right around the jar…..  just like Easter eggs!  They have a place on the front to mark the contents.  My favorite feature is a calendar on the back to mark the date of canning and the date of opening. Ingenious!

canning label sleeves from modern harvest

 

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Where do you store your lids?

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Question: What is the best way to store the lids and seals that aren’t in use (or after using)?

Great question, really just store them where it is convenient to you. The only caution I have is to be sure you don’t seal them airtight if they are wet after use. Be sure they are completely dried out or don’t store them in an airtight container.

If you are buying tattlers by the dozen boxes, you could store them back in the original box…. but I can’t imagine that being very convenient.  If you have just a small amount of lids I’d just use some sort of a plastic container.

If you are ordering the large bulk packages of tattler lids, they will come in a plastic bag in a box. With the gaskets in a large ziplock type bag. You could just leave them in the box and use them from there. When the boxes empty out (because you will be doing all that canning right?!) transfer them to a smaller container.

This is what I do.

I have a storage bucket reserved for my tattler lids. I get these from our local grocery store. The bakery gives them away free.  Others are figuring this out because I’m finding more and more that they are gone when I get there! It is a first come first served basis. You’ll just have to ask.

First I had one for wide and one for regular. My stock is now mostly on jars so I’ve combined them to one bucket.

In my kitchen I have my “canning drawer” this is where I store all my small canning tools.

  • lifter
  • funnel
  • canning salt
  • extra lids
  • pectin
  • weights for my pressure canners
  • jelly bags
  • whatever else small items I might need

canning stuff

In this drawer I have two plastic containers. One for tattler lids and one for the gaskets. This is as simple as a used cream cheese container.

tattlers in the canning drawer

Used tattler lids and gaskets

As the lids come off jars…. they get dropped in this drawer. When these containers are filled the lids go back in the storage bucket. There they wait until next canning season.

This works well for me.

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Where can you buy Tattlers?

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The words is spreading and Tattler canning lids are becoming more readily available. And we are working on getting them in more stores.

If you are not sure where to get yours… check out this link.   Store locator.  Simply type in your address or town and you’ll get a list of stores and maps with locations.  Pretty cool.

Canada

I’ve noticed several questions looking for resources for Canada. Here is one resource to check out.

Berkey Water Filter Canada.

Oh and BTW…. I have a Berkey and love it too. :0)

Spread the Word

If there is a store near you that carries canning supplies….talk to them and tell them about us.  Maybe they’d start carrying them too.  You never know!

 

 

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Use Tattlers in the Pressure Canner

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Have you wondered if Tattlers can be used in a pressure canner? The answer is a resounding yes.

I tend to be on the ultra safe side in my canning practices. So I wanted to be extra confident that the tattlers would be safe for use in the pressure canner. When I first tried tattler canning lids I only used them in the waterbath canner, when I felt confidence in the lids… I went for it and canned veggies with a pressure canner.

That first canning season was all high acid foods. Applesauce, cherries, jams and pickled items.  The next canning season I added the pressure canner too.   Now all vegetables, meat and meat broths are done with tattlers in the pressure canner.

Home Canned Pork and one jar of extra broth

Home Canned Pork and one jar of extra broth

Now I use tattlers for all my canning. This week it is applesauce… and as I type my guys are at hunting camp… so meat will go in the canner soon! Can’t Wait!

Here are a few meat canning tips.

Use wide mouth jars. It is not a requirement but wide mouth jars are easier to clean. Meat will be greasier and leave a residue. It is easier to clean if you can put your hand down in the jar.

Be sure you wipe the rims carefully before placing your lids. You don’t want grease between the gasket and the jar. Many foods you can see if the rim is dirty.. with meat it may not be so obvious.

Wipe the rims carefully before adding your lids

Wash the outside of the jars when you are done. It is normal for the jars to be dirty, you want to clean them before you store it.

Most kinds of meat can be canned. The most common meat that I can is venison, elk and chicken. I also do a LOT of broths.  All meat may be canned either raw or precooked. All MUST be processed in a pressure canner! There are no exceptions to this.

And Best of all…… Use those tattlers!

Happy hunting!

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Oops… I accidentally used two gaskets.

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“I accidentally used two gaskets?  Is my food safe?”

This question has come up a couple of times over the past few weeks.  First let me reassure you…. as long as your jars remain sealed, the food is still safe.    What I’d recommend is placing those jars with extra seals to the front of your cupboard and use them up first.  Be sure and check the jars carefully when you open them.  You want to be sure the seal is still intact.

Many folks leave their metal bands on jars when they put them in storage.  I’d encourage you not to do that with these jars.  Store them without the band.  IF that seal does break, you want to know for sure.  You don’t want the screw band holding the lid down.

I recommend leaving the metal bands off all jars when in storage anyway.

I was surprised that the lids would seal with extra gaskets in the first place. Just because I am a canning geek, I had to try it myself!    Soooooo…..

I took two small jars and two regular sized Tattler canning lids.

Canning jars and tattler reuseable canning lids

I used 2 gaskets on the smaller jar and 3 gaskets on one of my favorite cute jelly jars with the raised fruit pattern.  (No, I don’t know where to get these anymore. Treasure them if you have them.)

 

I filled the jars with boiling water and placed my lids.  Finger Tight!   (afterwards I realized I failed to take the step of simmering the lids and gaskets…. oops)

I placed both jars in boiling water and boiled 10 minutes.

canning jars in boiling water

My old vintage mirro pressure cooker did the job nicely, I did not want to fill the whole canner for my little experiment. I did NOT lock the lid down.  I just boiled… there was no pressure involved.

old mirro pressure cooker

By the way, if you are ever processing something and just need a waterbath, any pot will do as long as it has a rack to keep the jars off the bottom… and is deep enough to cover the jars with boiling water.

After the boiling process, I removed the jars and tightened the metal bands down just as I would if I had actually been canning something.  Later in the day I checked the seals by removing the screw bands and lifting the jar by the tattler lid.   Ta Da!  It worked.

tattler gaskets hold tight

Now keep in mind I’m NOT recommending that you be careless about using too many gaskets.  One is plenty!  :0)

But I satisfied my “gotta try this myself” geekiness, and proved that yes more gaskets will indeed seal.

 Edit to add:

Just an FYI,  it is 4-26-2013 7 months after I posted this…. I noticed my two jars of water in my canning storage are still sealed.  Cool!

 

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Canning in a Mirro 12 qt pressure canner

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Question : I purchased the Tattler lids in may. I am having some issues with using them. They are great in the water bath 100% seal.

I did two canners full in my 22 qt Mirro. Wide and reg mouth. 10 out of 10 sealed.

Then I went to my 12 qt Mirro canner and hit disaster. I had 9 out of 25 not seal and the ones that didn’t seal were all wide mouth. Is there an issue with these lids and smaller canners?

Ann, sorry to hear of the difficulties in your smaller pressure canner.

USDA recommendations are that for processing foods you need to have a canner that will hold at least 4 quart jars. It has to do with the timing of the processing. The cool down time with a smaller canner will be much shorter.

I don’t think a 12 qt pressure cooker is big enough for 4 quart jars, is that right? It could be that since the smaller canners cool off faster it may affect the pressures in the jars. This in turn may affect the seal. If food is being pushed out by the pressure in the jar after the processing time is over that food may get between the jar and the gasket and interfere with the seal.

We will keep an eye out to see if there are any other reports of this happening with the smaller canners, but I’ve not heard of any problems before this.

I don’t know if any of these will apply to your situation but here are a few things to consider.
Be sure and let your canner pressure come back to zero all on its own. Don’t try to speed up the process by pouring water on the canner or any other method. When the canner is at zero, take the weights off, open the vent and then let your jars rest for about 5 minutes.

Then take the lid off and I always let my jars rest again, some do this and some don’t. Letting the jars rest ensures that the pressure inside the jars equalizes slower. Remove the jars from the canner.  Be sure and tighten the metal rings down snug at this point.

Then let your jars cool on the counter. I usually leave mine overnight. After the jar has cooled completely check the seal by removing the screw band and lift by the edge of the tattler lid.

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Losing liquid when canning

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Apricots that lost liquid during processing

Linda Asks:

I have been a home food canner for many years. At the height of my canning, I would can as many as 500 jars per season. Then my family grew up, and I stopped.

Now, I have begun canning again, and I have started using your reusable lids. So far, I have had only one jar out of close to 100 that failed to seal.

The problem I am having is that I have noticed that I am losing liquid from the jars during the pressure canning or water bath canning process.

I recently canned 21 qts of tomatoes and then 21 qts of peaches. In both cases, there is fruit at the top of the jars that is not covered by liquid.

What am I doing wrong? I have used your instructions about the finger tip tightness upon putting the jars into the canner and tightening the rings upon taking them out. I started out with a 1/2 inch head space in each jar, and now the liquid is at the bottom of the jar shoulder in most of the jars with the fruit above the liquid. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Hi Linda, So glad to hear of your seal success!  Only one seal failure in about 100 jars is pretty good.

It sounds as if you are an experienced canner so you probably already know these basics but…… be sure you are using the correct headspace and processing time, method and pressure.

It also sounds like you are using the tattler lids correctly. It is possible that you need to tighten the bands just a bit tighter. It is difficult to tell. You might try it. If you end up with lids that are very bowed UP when you are taking them out of the canner then you know you went too tight.

FYI: I’ve had lids that were bowed up when I took them out of the canner still end up with a good seal. Try to avoid it but if this happens go ahead and tighten the band as usual and check the seal carefully the next day.

The other possibility is you need to let the jars rest in the canner just a little bit before you take them out. The jars are pretty hot and contents are still boiling when your processing time is over. If you remove the jars immediately the product in the jar will be boiling rapidly still and may end up boiling over and pushing out some of the liquid.

Try this: When your processing time is up turn off the heat. If you are pressure canning wait for the pressure to come down to zero, remove your weights and loosen the lid so steam can escape, but don’t remove the lid entirely. If you are waterbath canning take the lid off your canner. Then leave your jars for about 5 minutes.

This allows the jars to rest and will lessen the siphoning off of the liquid in your jars. Then take the jars out and tighten the lids right away.

I have more of an issue with this when pressure canning but it sometimes happens with a waterbath too.

I’m guessing you also already know this but as long as you used the correct processing method, time and pressure, and your jars sealed, the food is still safe to eat. If the liquid level is extreme, (like well below half way down the jar) I’d go ahead and place that in the front of your pantry and use it up first. The contents above the liquid may tend to brown.

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How Tight?

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Question: I purchased Tattler Reusable Canning lids and have been having difficulty with them.

I am soaking the rings in hot water. Making sure the jar rims are clean. Just finger tightening backing off 1/4 inch. 25-30 % do not seal. I have had entire batches not seal.

I was really looking forward to using them and am now frustrated. It’s such a waste. I have Seal Fear. Just dreading checking the seals after they have cooled.

Do you have any ideas? Right now I am just playing with colored water.

Sonda, I’m sorry you are having such a time with the lids, but I do think it is brilliant to use colored water to practice with!

Here are some tips that may help.

Be sure and tighten the rings as you take them out of the canner. With the old metal lids you don’t do this but with Tattler lids it is important.

Be sure and leave rings on until your jars are completely cooled. I leave mine out on the counter overnight. Then I check the seals the next day.

One thing you mention in your note: “Just finger tightening backing off 1/4 inch.”

From this statement I think you are perhaps loosening the lids too much. If you’ve tightened just finger tight you don’t need to then back off the 1/4 inch. If you tighten the lids snugly then you would need to back off the 1/4 inch. But don’t do both. Your lids will end up too loose.

Tattler used to state to tighten the lids, then back off 1/4 of an inch… however many people mis-read that to say back off a quarter of a turn. The lids would end up too loose. To avoid that confusion they changed how they worded the instructions. Now the recommendation is to tighten finger tight.

Instructions are the same…. just hopefully clearer.
tightening tattler canning lids
What I do is place one or two fingers on the seal and with the other hand tighten the screw band. As soon as the ring tightens enough on the threads to turn the jar under my finger… it should be just right. This is so much easier to show than to tell.

It comes down to this: The lids need to be on the jar well enough to hold the white flat and gasket in place while processing. But it should not be tightened too snugly. It needs to be loose enough that the jar can vent as it boils in the canner.

Then immediately when you take the jars out of the canner you need to tighten the lids down. The contents will shrink as it cools. This causes a vacuum which will pull the flat lid and gasket tight against the jar and cause it to seal.

I hope this helps. Once you get the hang of it the lids really are worth it!

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